Automatic fire-extinguisher



(No Model.). 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. BARNES. Automatic Fire Extinguisher. No. 233,393. Patented Oct. 19,1880.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. BARNES. Automatic Fire Extnguisher. No. 233,393. Patented Oct. 19,1880.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES BARNES, OF DAYTON, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming* part of Letters Patent N0. 233,393, dated October 19, 1880.

Application filed J une 21, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BARNEs, of the city of Dayton, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement upon my Patents Nos. 212,346 and 216,821, granted to me, respectively, February 18, 1879, and June 24, 1879.

The object of this invention is to provide a supply-valve which will be more easily and securely forced and held to its seat and more readily released therefrom.

A further object is to relieve the valve-sustaining devices from the strain consequent upon the expansion and contraction of the valve closing and releasing wires under varying temperatures. l

Another object is to relieve the fusible solde joints from strain, so that they may be made more sensitive to heat without liability of parting except in case of fire.

My object is also to prevent the possibility of the discharge orifices becoming clogged from sediment in thewater or scales from the pipes. i

Its object is, nally, to provide a means to hold the valve-seat within the distributer securely to its seat without liability of fracturing the solder-joint, by which itis held, by expansion and contraction of the metal.

These objects are attainedl by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in connection with which the invention will be first fully described and the novel features particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate identical parts throughout the various views, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a building fitted with my improvements. Figs. 2, 3, and 5 are elevations of my improved distributer. Fig. 4 is an axial section of the form shown in Fig 2, and Fig. 6 a similar view of the form shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the supplyvalve. Fig. 8 is a similar view taken in a plane at right angles to the view represented in Fig. 7. Fig. 11 is a central vertical section view of the form of the devices as represented in Fig. 7. Fig. 12 is a similar sec- (No model.)

tion view of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the valve-actuating levers. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the valvereleasing device; and Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the fusible jointed coupling-slide. Fig. 14. is a perspective view, showing two actuating-levers, each adapted to operate the supply-valveindependently of the other. Fig. l5 is a plan of the supply-valve and actuating-levers.

The distrbuters (represented in Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive) and the releasing devices (represented in Figs. 9 and 13) are drawn to about the full size, while the valve and its mechanism (represented in Figs. 7, 8, 10, 1l, and 12) are drawn to about one-sixth the actual size.

So much of the invention as automatically turns a supply of water or other extinguishing-fluid into the system of pipes from the street-main or other source of supply will be rst described.

A is the case of the supply-valve. Itis cast in two sections and bolted together through outwardly-projecting flanges. Bosses are cast upon opposite sides of the upper section to receive the journal-bearings of the shaft B.

C is the valve. It has a yoke, C', cast with it upon the under side, through which yoke the shaft B passes. An eccentric, B', upon shaft B, and within the yoke, opens the valve when turned in one direction, and closes it when turned in the opposite direction. The valve is guided by rods o c', which pass through transverse bars c c in the upper and lower parts ofthe case. The lower rod, o', has a groove to receive a pin from the bar a', to prevent the valve and yoke from rotating.

The shaft B, where it enters the valve-oase, is suitably packed to prevent leakage.

D D are flanges or disks, any desired number of which, either separately or upon a common hub, may be secured upon shaft B. In the form illustrated the shaft outside of the case is square, to enter corresponding perforations in the flange or disk hubs; but any other mode of securing them rigidly to the shaft will answer the purpose.

To each of the disks is pivoted a lever, E. The leversl have weights F suspended from them outside of the periphery of the disks. The free ends of the levers are held up by wires or cords G, which pass through the different stories of the building and are united IOO ' hold the parts in the position shown.

at different points of their lengths bythe coupling device shown in Figs. 9 and 13. In this position the wire G, through the lever, holds the valve closed. As the valve is always intended to be opened against the pressure of the water the pressure assists to hold it securely to its seat.

It is the intention to have independent wire cords from the dii'erent stories or divisions of the building, and as manyindependent levers as there are cords. Thus the motion caused by the expansion and contraction of the wires is distributed between all the levers, und the friction caused by the number of pulleys or hell-cranks necessary to change the direction of one wire throughout the whole building is avoided.

It will be seen that whenever either lever is released by its retaining-wire the weight F will bring it down upon a fulcrum-piu, d, secured in the face of the disk, partially rotate the shaft open the valve, and turn a slipply of water into the system of pipes.

The lever is suspended above the pin (I, so as to permit the sustaining wire cord G to expand and contract without moving the valve from its seat.

The wire cord G is united throughout the building by fusible solder joints. This metal, when made to fuse at a low temperature, is incapable of sustaining a heavy tensile strain. In order to relieve the joints from strain I have contrived the coupling shown in Figs. 9 and 13. This consists of a metal lever, H, through the eye of which one end of the wire cord is passed and looped. A loop is iliade upon the end of the adjoining section of wire. The bar of the lever is passed through this loop and turned back parallel with the wire which passes through the eye of the lever. A slide, I, is now passed over the end of the lever to The slide is made in two parts and jointed together with fusible solder. As there is very little strain upon the slide the joint may be made very sensitive to heat without danger of its parting, except in case of fire.

In the form ot perforated distributer shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 J is the shell, into the lower end of which is screwed a cap, K. Between lugs k k', secured or cast upon the under side of the cap, is pivoted a lever, K. The lugs are located about the distance of halt' a radius from the center of the cap. In the form shown in Figs. 2 and 4 the opposite end of lever K has a swinging lug-plate, k', which, when the distributer is fitted for use, is secured to a projection, k2, extending from the periphery of the cap by a fusible solder-joint at k3.

My preferred form of distributer (shown in Fig. 3) has at its outer end, instead of the 1ug-plate,a hooked lever, K2, which reaches up and hooks over a projection upon the shell of the rose-head, and has its dat edge jointed by fusible solder to the projection upon the shell and a corresponding projection upon the cup. The pivot-pin of the lever K2 is in a vertical plane outside ot' the solder joint, so that when the solder is fused by heat the lever or latch K2 will be thrown from its bearin g, the lower part of the projection upon cap K serving as a fulcruin for this purpose. The valvestem L projects through a central opening in the cap. The lower end of the stem is bored out for some distance, and into the perforation is inserted a rubber plug. The lower section of the valve-stem is turned oli' to enter the cavity in the upper portion and rest upon the rubber cushion. The valve is tightened and held to its seat bya screw, K3. which is tapped through the lever-arm K'. The valve is thus held closed by elastic pressure, which assists to throw the lever down when the solder is fused b v the heat, and prevents a fracture of the joint or leakage of the valve from expansion of the metal before the joint is fused.

The form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 illustrates the mode of applying my elastic stem to the form of sprinklers I have heretofore used. In this form the elastic joint is made at the upper end of the valve-stem. The lower end of the stem is screw-threaded through a plug oi' fusible metal in the lower end ofthe guide-cap M. This cap has a projection extending up into the shell ot' the distributer, and a flange or shed extending around it below the shell. The lower part of the shell is perforated, so that should the valve leak slightly from imperfect fitting or any cause the water would pass to the bottom of the distributer, be discharged upon the inclined top ot' the iiange, and carried 0E without reaching the neck of the cap to impede the fusing of the joint in case of lire.

In Fig. 4 is shown within the distributer a screen of wire-cloth or perforated sheet metal, the perforations or meshes ot' which are much smaller than the discharge-milices of the shell J, so that should any sedimentor scales-which are in nearly all drawn pipe-be carried into the distributer they will be arrested within the screen, and the effectiveness of the distributer will not be impaired, as the area of all the openings in the screen is considerably greater than the area of those in the rose-head.

After a tire the lower cap, K., in the distributers affected by the lire may be taken oli' for inspection or removal of sediment carried in with the water.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the supply of water may be either taken from the Street-mains in cities that have water-works or from a tank upon the house in other localities.

Where the extinguisher is used in buildings in which steam-power is employed a pressure of steam from the boiler mayin the same way be automatically turned into the tank, which, in such case, should be made steam-tight, to force the water or other extinguishing agent with greater velocity through the pipes.

The wire from the alarm N, Fig. 1, should IOO IIO

be connected to each of the Wires, so that in case of re in any portion of the building an alarm would be sounded.

It is evident that instead of the disks D D crank-arms carrying pivot and fulcrum pins may be employed, and would operate in the same way 5 and that many well-known forms of valves may be used with my releasing devices, which would permit a limited play of the actuating-lever to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the sustaining wire or cord without turning on a supply of water in the system of pipes 5 but the form shown is believed to be the best, because the valve remains undisturbed under varyin g temperatures until one of the unions of wire G be parted by the heat consequent upon a re. The form of coupling device which throws the strain of the lever-weight upon the wire directly and removes it almost entirely from the solder-joint may also be varied in form without a material variance in principle.

I claim- 1. In an automatic valve for nre-extinguishers,the combination ofcaseA, valve C, and camshaft B with flange D, weighted lever E, and a fusibly-jointed releasing-wire, as G, for the purpose specied. l

2. In an automatic tire-extinguisher of the character described, the combination of a system of pipes, a supply-valve for said system, with two or more independent valve-actuatin g devices, each of which is held by an independent wire passing, to a different part of the building, either one of which actuating devices will throw the valve open when its holdin g-wirc is parted.

3. A valve-releasing device for automatic nre-extinguishers, consisting of wires G, lever H, and fusibly-jointed slide I, combined to operate substantially as set forth.

4. In an automatic fire-extinguisher, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a perforated distributer, a valve located Within said distributer, and having a stem which projects through the shell of the distributer, and a lever, as K', to hold the valve to its seat within the distributer until its fusible joint k3 is re leased by heat.

5. In an automatic nre-extinguisher, the combination, substantially as specified, of a perforated distributer provided with a valve, the stem of which projects through the distributershell, with a jointed lever, K', and latch K2, said latch resting upon aiprojection on the shell of the distributer and secured thereto by fusible solder to hold the valve to its seat.

6. In an automatic fireextinguisher, thecombination of a perforated distributer, and a valve to control the supply of Water to said distributer, said valve provided with a two-part stem and an elastic cushion bet-Ween the parts, to hold the valve to its seat with elastic pressure by fusible solder, substantially as specified.

7. In an automatic iire-extin guisher, the combination of a perforated distributer attached to the end of a discharge-pipe, with a perfo rated screen intervening between the end of the discharge-pipe and the perforated shell of the distributer, for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES BARNES.

Witnesses:

Guo. J. MURRAY, M. W. OLIVER. 

